
The Infra Pod
The Infra Pod brings you insightful and thought-provoking discussions on the world of infrastructure software. This podcast is started by two engineers, Ian Livingstone (tech advisor for Snyk) and Tim Chen (General Partner at Essence VC), team up with a rotating cast of guests to dive deep into the latest trends and hot topics in the software infrastructure space.
Latest episodes

27 snips
Jan 27, 2025 • 47min
How to invest in infrastructure companies since inception stage? Chat with Elliot at Boldstart VC
Elliot Durbin, General Partner at Bold Start Ventures, specializes in inception-stage investing for technical founders tackling infrastructure issues. He discusses the evolution of venture capital and the importance of empathy and adaptability in successful founders. Key topics include navigating premature scaling pitfalls and market dynamics. Elliot also explores how AI is transforming enterprise software, emphasizing the need for agility and innovation among startups. His insights shed light on the complexities of funding and strategic thinking in today's evolving landscape.

Jan 13, 2025 • 42min
Why do we need a cloud native data lake for geospatial data? Chat with cofounders of Earthmover (Ryan and Joe)
Future of Data in Climate and Earth Sciences
In this episode of The Infra Pod, Tim and Ian sat down with the cofounders of Earthmover Ryan and Joe to discuss the cloud native multi-dimensional data lake they're building for climate and geospatial data. They delve into the role of advanced data handling methods, multidimensional array data, the impact of cloud-native technologies, and how these influence various sectors ranging from insurance to environmental resilience.
00:00 Introduction
00:09 Excitement for Earthmover
00:44 Ryan's Background
03:46 Joe's Involvement
07:54 Definition and Value of Earth Science Data
10:08 Industry Applications
14:37 Challenges and Traditional Methods
19:19 Cloud-Native Solutions
27:09 Data Management in the Cloud
35:05 Spicy Future!
40:46 Contact and Conclusion

Dec 31, 2024 • 40min
Let's review our favorite infra hot takes in 2024!
Ian and Tim this time around sat down and talk about their learnings interviewing the great guests we had on this podcast, and picked our favorite moments and learnings.
And of course, our own spicy hot takes for 2025!

Dec 30, 2024 • 41min
Navigating the Future of API Development with AI! Chat with Speakeasy CEO Sagar Batchu
In this episode of The Infra Pod, Tim and Ian sat down with with Sagar Batchu (CEO of Speakeasy) about APIs and software development. Sagar shares his journey in creating Speakeasy, challenges in API development, market trends, and his unique perspective on the future of QA in the context of rapidly advancing AI technology.
A must-listen for anyone involved in the tech and developer tools / API space!
00:00 Introduction
00:16 Guest Introduction: Sagar Batchu
00:22 Founding Speakeasy
01:36 Insights and Catalyst for Building APIs
02:02 Challenges in API Development
03:57 Who Needs to Build an API?
07:09 Speakeasy's Unique API Product
12:11 Customer Journeys and Learnings
18:00 API Design Principles and Success
28:08 Spicy Future: QA's Resurgence
36:22 AI's Impact on APIs
38:33 Closure and Contacts

Dec 16, 2024 • 40min
Code refactoring is more than a AI problem! Chat with Jonathan at Moderne
Ian and Tim sat down with Jonathan Schneider, CEO of Moderne, about large-scale source code refactoring and the journey of starting a company focused on automating this complex task. Jonathan shares insights from his experience at Netflix and discusses the intricacies of automatic refactoring, the importance of maintaining code consistency, and the interplay between deterministic rules and AI tools in managing code migrations. The conversation touches on the applications and challenges of using AI in code refactoring and explores the potential for hybrid solutions in the future.
00:00 Introduction to the Infra Pod
00:19 Jonathan Schneider's Background and Journey
01:07 Challenges in Code Migrations
03:16 Moderne's Unique Approach to Code Refactoring
05:13 Technical Deep Dive: Abstract Syntax Trees and Lossless Semantic Trees
15:05 AI in Code Refactoring
25:10 Future of Code Migrations and Hybrid Approaches
32:40 Spicy Takes and Industry Predictions
39:35 Conclusion and Contact Information

Dec 2, 2024 • 11min
Big Announcement! We are now called ....
You probably already notice our name has changed if you get this episode!
Listen to Tim and Ian talk about how we started this podcast, why we changed our name and what we're planning for the podcast as well.
Follow and share us in all the social channels ->
http://www.infrapod.io
X: @theinfrapod
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-infra-pod/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheInfraPod

Nov 15, 2024 • 59min
AI native development is more than just using copilots! Chat with Guy Podjarny (CEO of Tessl)
Ian and Tim sat down with Guy Podjarny (CEO of Tessl, ex-CEO of Snyk) to talk about his new journey to build Tessl, that's aiming to build a fundamental change in AI-native software development. We sat down to talk about Guy's views on what's happening in AI powered developer tools, why he's taking a bold bet and how it can change this whole industry.

Nov 4, 2024 • 37min
Will AI agents automate security in the enterprise? Chat with Mukund (Senior Director of Product Security at Chime)
Ian and Tim sat down with Mukund (Senior Director of Product Security at Chime) to talk about his history to building security teams and projects, and how he views the industry when it comes to building a product security culture, evaluating buy vs build, and how AI is already changing the security practice.

Oct 14, 2024 • 36min
How Github grew from 0 to millions of developers, and now bringing that to Devops! (Chat with Ted, ex-CTO of Github)
Ian and Tim sat down with Ted Nyman (ex-CTO of Github, CEO of Cased) to chat about how it feels like to be part of the early days of Github, how did it made its way from a little known project to what it became today. We also discussed about Ted's new startup Cased and how it's transforming Devops as well.

Aug 19, 2024 • 33min
Incubating Infrastructure at Scale (Chat with Dane at Cloudflare)
Ian and Tim sat down with Dane (SVP of Emerging Tech and Incubation at Cloudflare) to chat about Cloudflare's journey of incubating emerging infra areas like security and AI, and how it becomes products Cloudflare customers can use at scale.